Driving connection for locomotives



Oct. 30 1923.

G. H. F. HOLY v DRI VING' CONNECTION FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed Maroh25. 19212 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 30, 1923 L472J173 G. H. F. HOLY DRIVING CONNECTIONFOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed March 23, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR NE! Patentedon. so, 1923.

entree stares GEORGE H. E. HOLY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 035 IENNSYLVANIA.

DRIVING CONNECTION FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Application filed March 23, 1921.

Toallwhom it may concern:

' Be it known that 1, GEORGE H. F. HOLY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in DrivingConnections for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.My invention relates to driving connections for electric locomotives andparticularly to means for the transmission of power.

from the motor to the driving wheels.

The object of my invention is to eliminate certain strains to whichdriving connections of the types commonly employed are sub jected,through the rise and fall of the driving wheels on the one side of thelocomotive relatively to those on the other side thereof.

further object is the provision of an intermediate driving member ofsuch construction and so mounted as to eliminate the driving strainsusually placed on the jack shaft, or other intermediate drive, under ordinary driving conditions.

Still another object is the provision of a construction wherein theintermediate driving member may be readily removed from the locomotive.

In an electric locomotive of that type wherein the motor drives thetraction wheels through pinions, jack-shaft gear and side rods, it isusual to extend the jack shaft clear across the locomotive and to mounta gear on each end thereof in position to be driven by one of the motorpinions. These gears carry crank pins to which the side rods for drivingthe traction wheels arev connected.

The ack shaft is supported on the frame, and, as the driving wheels aresupported directly by the rails, relative vertical movement takes placebetween the driving wheels and the gears on the jack shaft. This results in a tendency to vary the distance between the crank pins to whichthe side rods are connected as the driving wheels encounterirregularities in the surface of the rails. However, since theconnection between the driving wheels and the intermediate gears isrigid, the jack shaft is caused to rotate sufficiently tocompensate'forthe relative vertical movement between the driving wheels and theintermediate gear. This movement is, of course, transmitted to theintermediate gear that is on the other end Serial No. 454,687.

of the jack shaft. This action results in a strain being thrown uponsaid other gear,

especially when the rotative compensating movement that is impartedthereto is in a direction opposite to that in which the gear happens tobe rotating.

Instead of mounting a pair of intermediate gears on a single jack shaft,I mount each gear independently of the other, except that they may meshwith pinions that are mounted on a single motor shaft. The intermediategears are of the resilient type and, consequently, any irregularities ofmovement by one of the driving wheels and its associated intermediategear are absorbed by the resilient elements instead of being transmittedto the intermediate gear at the other side of the locomotive.

My construction possesses the further advantage of leaving clear thatspace between the sides of the locomotive frame which was formerlyoccupied by the jack shaft.

Referring now to the accompanying drawingsz Figure 1 is a sideelevational view of a portion of a locomotive with my invention appliedthereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with the locomotive cab removed, and

Figs. 3 and 4 areviews, similar to those of Figs. 1 and 2, butillustrating a modification of my invention.

A locomotive cab 5. is supported, in the usual manner, upon side frames6 and 7 that are, in turn, supported in any desired manner by drivingwheels 8, 9, 10 and 11, and a usual pony truck 12.

A pair of motors 13 and 14L are mounted on the side frames 6 and 7 andare provided with shafts 15 and 16, respectively, on which are mountedpinions for transmitting the power from the motors. The motors operatein the usual manner, and a description of one of them, with relation tothe driving mechanism, will sufiice for both.

A pair of pinions 17 and 18, which are secured to the shaft 15, meshwith gear wheels 19 and 20, respectively, and operate through them todrive side rods 21 and 22 to which the traction wheels 8 and 9 areconnected. 7

The gear wheels 19 and 20 are each of the resilient type and consist ofa gear rim 23 and a gear center 24, between which and bearings 29 formedin bearing brackets 30 that are laterally disposed with respect to theside frames 6 and 7. A. pair of crank pins 31 and 32 serve to rigidlyconnect, the portions of the crank shafts and to pivotally support oneend of the. side rods 21 and 22, respectively. 7

In the formv of construction illustrated in Fig. 2, the bearing-brackets30 consist of lugs'33and 34', formedintegrally.with the side frames 6and 7, respectively, and extension members fastened thereto by meansbolts 35. Removal of the bolts 35 pers .111. bearingbrackets to bedisassembled and permits of the ready removal of the crank shafts 26 and27 and the gear wheels 19 and 20 carried thereby. The portions 27 of thecrank shafts are formed with extensions 36 that serve to counterbalancethe Weight of the crankpins and the ends of-the side rods 21 and 22whichare supported thereon.

The; rotation of the motors is imparted, through the pinions. and theintermediate gear wheels .19 and 20, to the side rods. 22, andtheresilient. elements function inthe manner common in drives of thischaracter. If, forrinstance, the driving wheel 9 should encounter anirregularity-in the surface ofthe rail, the tendency would beto suddenlyvary the normal distance between itscrank pin and the crankpin 32ofthecrank shaft,

' .but, due to theflexibility between the crank shaft and the gear rim,this tendency to irregularity of movement. is compensated for and is nottransmitted to the crank pin 31 at the other side of the locomotive, aswould-bethe case-were the gear centers 24 mounted on ti -single ackshaft.

It will be further. observed that,instead ofdrivinggst-rainsbeingimposed on the crank shaft at a point outside its bearings,

as in-thecase of the ordinary jack shaft drive, such strains are1mposedon the shaft at a point intermediate the two bearings.

that-support saidshaft and. there is, consequently. no tendency to bindtheshaft in its bearings- V The modified construction illustrated inFigs 3 *andxt is the same asthat just described in connection with Figs.1 and 2, with the exception that thebearing brackets 30 are of-onepiece.and formed integrally with the side frames 6 and 7 The bearings, 29 areopen at the bottom, as illustrated in Fig.8, and are provided with aclosure member .37. which is secured to the'bearing by means-of bolts38..

To remove the crank shaft, it is simply necessary. to take off themember 37. and allow the end of the crank shaft to fall out of thishearing, after which it can be readily slid out-of the bearing 28.

If desired, the pinions which aremounted upon the 'endsqof the motorshafts maybe of the flexiblegear type, that is, they may. comprise atoothed rim portion and a hub or center portion, with flexible elementsinterposed therebetween, to secure resilient driving action, as inthe'caseof the gear wheelsl9 and20. i

Various other modifications may be made in the construction withoutdeparting from the appended claims. Y

I claim my invention 2- V 1. in combination, in a locomotive drivingmechanism, a motor-driven shaft extending transversely. ofthe locomotiveframe and having pinions mounted on'eachend thereof, and gears mountedadjacent to thesaid shaft and meshingwith each of the pinion-s,

the spirit of the. invention, asset forth-in said gears being mountedindependentlyof' one another, and having ilGXlblQ connection with ,thetraction wheels of the locomotive.

2. In combination, a locomotive driving mechanism, a motor driven shaftextending transversely of the locomotive frame, a pinion on each end ofsaid shaft, av gear meshing: with each of the pinions and comprising agear rim and a gear center for supporting the gear rim, yieldingdrivingelement between the gear rim and the gear center, a crank adaptedto bedriven by the gear center, and side rods connecting said crank with thelocomotive traction wheels.

the crank being supported froma bearing located exteriorly of, theside'fra-mes of the f locomotive. V V i A locomotive drive compr sing" amotor, a motor shaft provided with apinion V on each. of its ends andextending trans.- versely of -a locomotive frame, a gear. mesh ing:with-each pinion and mounted on a shaft that is supported exteriorly; offrames of the locomotive.

4. A; locomotive drive comprising,v in combination, a driving. memberprovided with oppositely disposed pinions locatedexteriorly of thesideframes of the locomotive,

and drivinginembersmeshing with each of said pinions and mountedindependently of each. other, v V 1 5. In combination, a drivenmechanism, a driving shaft provided with a pinion on each end thereof,an intermediate gear. meshing withE each of said pinions, saidgearsbeing independently mounted. and comprising a gear-rim; and-agear.center with. flexible connections ,therebetween, and driven membersconn'QC ed'to each of the gear centers.

6. In combinatiom in a driving mechanism, a pair of pinions, a'pairofdriven gears mounted independently of each the side.

other and each meshing With a pinion, a crank shaft driven by each ofthe gears, and a flexible connection between the crank shafts and thepinion.

7. In combination, in a driving mechanism, a pair of driving members, apair of intermediate driven members mounted independently of each other,main driven members connected to the intermediate driven members andflexible driving connections interposed between the driving members andthe driven members.

8. In combination, in a locomotive driving mechanism, a driving shaftextending 1 transversely of the locomotive frame and having a pinionmounted on each end thereof, and gears meshing With each of the pinions,said gears being mounted on separate axles and one of them beingflexible.

9; A gear support for a locomotive comprising a bearing located in onelongitudinal side of the frame and a bearing located in a lug carried onthe locomotive frame and extending laterally and longitudinally to apoint opposite the first main hearing.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th dayof February, 1921.

GEORGE H. F. HOLY.

